Infra-red is little used now, but headphones that use it are still manufactured by companies such as Sennheiser (the Sennheiser IS410 pictured above). Infra-red is best used for TV, but it requires an unobstructed line of sight between the headphones and transmitter, meaning there are limits on both the distance and angle you can use them.

Radio frequency is more powerful. Wireless headphones that use radio frequency (like the Sony MDRRF985RK pictured above) can work at ranges of up to 150 feet, and the signal can pass through walls, so is usable with a home stereo as well as a TV. Interference is an issue: it increases with distance, and other wireless devices that use the same frequency range (typically 800-900MHz) can also cause it. RF also isn’t secure in the way that Bluetooth is.

Bluetooth is your option if you want headphones without a transmitter, and are your best bet for general use. These require Bluetooth technology to be incorporated into the source device; phones, laptops, games consoles and many modern TVs will all have this. Bluetooth has a range of about 32 feet (10 meters).

2. Bluetooth and Sound Quality

The biggest argument against using Bluetooth headphones used to be that they offered poor sound quality. This was because Bluetooth was not originally intended for streaming high-quality music.

Compression

Early versions of Bluetooth compressed audio very heavily, producing a harsh, digital sound. With growing demand, greater focus was placed on making improvements in this area in subsequent versions.

In 2014 a report by SoundExpert, an audio quality testing site, concluded that at its highest possible bitrate of 372kbps SBC was comparable to an AAC file encoded at 192kpbs, and that “most artifacts it produces are beyond human perception”.

It’s also important to remember that, while Bluetooth tends to get the blame for poor performance in Bluetooth headphones, there are a large range of other factors at play, including the quality of the headphones themselves and the audio device being used.

Latency

Another issue with Bluetooth headphones is latency. This is the short delay between an audio signal entering the headphones and when you can hear it. You won’t notice this lag if you’re listening to music, but if you’re watching a video the sound may be marginally out of sync.

Latency varies depending on the hardware and software setups you have. Bluetooth 4.0 is low latency, so will perform better than older versions, and it’s another area that is being addressed by aptX.

3. Battery Life

Wireless headphones require their own power supply. This will come in the form of either a built-in rechargeable battery or standard disposable batteries.

For headphones that require a wireless transmitter, the transmitter will often double up as a charging dock.

For Bluetooth headphones, you should look for battery life of around 8-12 hours. This will give you all day playback. Some expensive pairs will fall well short of this, while others far exceed it. Sony’s DR-BTN200 promises 40 hours of listening.

Remember, though, that battery life is related to volume. The louder your music, the shorter the battery will last. Battery life quotes on manufacturers’ spec sheets tend to reflect optimum conditions rather than real-world use.

A battery will normally take around three hours to charge, and uses a standard mini or micro USB cable.

4. NFC

Bluetooth headphones are straightforward to set up. You need to pair them with your audio device — your smartphone, tablet, or laptop. This is generally done via the built-in Bluetooth software on the device.

You’ll need to enter a passcode during the setup phase. This is found in the manual for your headphones, though in almost all cases it will be 0000.

Some headphones also support NFC (like the Sony DRBTN200). This is another wireless technology that enables devices to communicate just by holding them in close proximity to one another. NFC is the technology that underpins many wireless payment systems.

5. Remote Control

Many wired headphones sport a wired remote on the cable. This is used to start, stop and skip music tracks, as well as to take and reject calls — they often have a small microphone built in.

Wireless headphones don’t have this option. Instead, almost all sets will build some basic controls, along with the microphone, into one of the earpieces.

The accessibility of these controls is something you should always test when buying, or choosing to keep, new headphones. It often seems that the button design and layout is determined more by aesthetics than practicality, resulting in controls that are difficult to find by touch alone, especially if you’re in the gym.

In order to fit the Bluetooth radio and battery, in-ear Bluetooth headphones (like the JayBird BlueBuds X) either have physically larger earpieces, with the two parts connected by a cable, or are normal-sized but have a thick, rigid neckband to house the electronics.

The next generation of in-ear Bluetooth headphones is tackling this, through new manufacturers such as Bragi and FreeWavz.

The Dash, from Bragi, are earbuds that sit directly in the ear without any adjoining cable or neckband. They also include 4GB of storage for use without a smartphone. The FreeWavz use a slightly larger earclip design. Both also incorporate fitness features including a heart rate monitor.

Inevitably, their smaller size means that the battery life of in-ear models is shorter than the larger alternatives.

I usually use regular earbuds and listen to music very often during commute. However, all of them stop working relatively quickly. Some have one earbud louder than the other and others have wire issues. My aunt gave me a very nice pair of wireless headphones, but since I listen to music so much, I'm worried they'll run out of battery before I'm ready to charge them. I feel bad for not liking them, but I listen to music really loud. Any tips?

Hello Navin! The choice of headphones is a personal thing, and it is usually determined by a number of factors. The price and features of the headphones tend to be the main factors, but the headphones' features tend to determine the price. For example regular wireless stereo headphones won't come close to being as expensive as wireless headphones capable of playing high resolution music formats. So, look for any one with good reviews that you can afford and make sure you try it in store to confirm it works with your phone. If you buy online, be sure to buy from vendors with a good return policy in case the headphones are incompatible with your phone. You may be able to check the compatibility of the wireless bluetooth headphones with your phone by comparing the specifications of both devices on their manufacturers' websites. Good luck to you!

i was looking for a wireless headphone and i found this one on amazone
it is a bluetooth wireless headphone which can play music for up to 8 hours and it is also not expensive in addition to 1 year warranty i think it is a good deal
here is the link for it if you r interested

Hi - belated thanks for the great article. I'm currently trying out Bose QC 35s (returnable). I value the active noise cancellation. So far they're great for listening to music on my MacBook Pro (mid 2010, OS 10.7.5). The only problem is that the sound cuts out when I go into another room. I suspect that this has more to do with my ancient Macbook BT than the headphones.(1) Is there a way to boost or upgrade the BT signal with a dongle or transmitter? What do you recommend?

I also want to use headphones with my Sony Bravia TV, which does not support BT audio. Sony says to use RF headphones. So I would need to buy another set of headphones. I know that many people use BT transmitters in the TV's headphone jack or digital audio out. But most report that there is inevitable audio lag. Is the solution to buy RF headphones? Sony, Sennheiser? BTW - The Bose QC 35s use A2DP vs aptX. Thanks!

Hello Karen! I don't see why not. If your wireless headphones can pair with your smartphone, you can definitely listen to music with them much like you would with any bluetooth headset. If your headset has a mic, which. I suspect it might, you may even be able to switch to audio when a phone call comes in while you're listening to music. Best wishes!

Hello Tony! There have been speculations by some people but there is currently no reliable medical evidence to prove that bluetooth headsets are dangerous to human health. You might like to know that most of the people spreading the information that bluetooth may be dangerous really haven't conducted scientific research to prove their hypotheses. So, until someone proves otherwise I personally believe that bluetooth has no currently known negative effects on human health. Feel free to get yourself a pair of bluetooth headsets or headphones, whichever one you need. Cheers!

I'm using some MAXTECH Bluetooth headphones I got from Aldi for £14.99 they sound great. The audio sounds absolutely fantastic as I can hear parts of songs I never noticed were there. They were cheap but I bet they are more exspensive than they were being priced at. I'm pleased I got them. MAXTECH is not a well known brand but trust me when you hear them you wont want to go back. The have 2.4gh frequency and have A2DP in them. They have Bluetooth 4.1 built in. The battery is rated 5 hours but I think it's more than that as i was able to get 6 or 8 hours out of them before charging. I use them with my iPhone 6 Plus for music.

I love bluetooth tech. I started with over the ear, bohm, and now use in the ear. I have not had any issues, but due to the limited battery life, I have gotten a second pair so one can charger while using the other. They are jam transit mini buds. When I first got my bohm I did notice a lag when watching videos... that can be annoying.
I am now learning about codecs, latency and different versions of bluetooth tech (BT 4.0) and can make a more informed purchase in future.

"Latency varies depending on the hardware and software setups you have. Bluetooth 4.0 is low latency, so will perform better than older versions, and it’s another area that is being addressed by aptX."
aptX is a codec. aptX low latency is another codec. aptX latency is about 140ms, aptX low latency is about 40ms. BLUETOOTH anything is NOT low latency unless it has aptX low latency codec. A device (headphone, transmitter, or receiver) is not aptX low latency unless it incorporates the aptX low latency codec. A spec of aptX does not imply low latency.

My son gifted a not very costly Bluetooth headphone which I am using for my cell phone. But I also need a headphone for my TV. As I am not western music buff the "compression" and "sound quality" are not important. But I am toying with the idea of getting a new RF headphones (something like senheisser RS120) or use the gifted BT headphone buying only a BT transmitter for TV. The distance is not a problem as this is a small apartment. any advice?

I have a pair of wire headphones that have a foldable design made from Sony. I have had them for 18 months and the audio is starting to go bad. For some reason I think its the wires because once I move to adjust myself the wire moves with me and the sound starts fading so I have to move the jack and cord then the sound returns to normal (whereever my volume was originally).

I have been searching for replacement headphones and I am interested on going bluetooth meaning wireless. I own a Samsung Tab 2 10.2 tablet and I am getting an HP Intel Windows 10 laptop my tablet is bluetooth and I surely know my new HP laptop with be bluetooth.

What would you recommend for bluetooth wireless headphones for me to find and purchase? The Beats by dr. Drea I hear are very good but a lot of views on them have been not so great with android products and other devies though with apple they work just find. I have been interested in the Beats, headphone by Sony, Bose, and others. But I dont now what wuld be the best to order.

I have skullcandy hesh 2 wireless headphones , a couple of days before the wireless functionality stopped providing me good sound but using the wired connection is providing good sound. Does the phone have an issue / headphones have?
Plz tell me fast . else I need to claim warranty!!

The only thing holding me back from using wireless headphones is the fact that i'd need to keep them charged OR buy more batteries than I do currently (what a drag)
They should get Nikola Tesla to design some that charge over-air. Haaa!
In reality these 'wireless' devices are still dependent on a wire to work. Bummer.

I do actually use Jaybird Bluebuds X Sport. I can tell a difference in audio quality versus high quality wired headphones or audiophile grade speakers, particularly in choral or brass-heavy music. They definitely aren't perfect, but they're my every day headphones and are really only removed from around my neck when I bathe or sleep.

Andy is a former print journalist and magazine editor who has been writing about technology for 15 years. In that time he has contributed to countless publications and produced copywriting work for large tech companies. He has also provided expert comment for the media and hosted panels at industry events.